I had the rear tire blowout on my motorcycle at 65mph on the way home from work just a bit ago.
I'm obviously OK, and other than the tire, the bike is fine, but I'm pretty sure my pants are going to need a good cleaning.

I've wanted a bike for years now but whenever I read or hear horror stories, (even ones that end ok) I change my mind. I guess it's one of those things like when you're a kid and you'd ride your skateboard/bicycle down a steep hill. You just can't think about the bad outcomes that can make you a quadriplegic. Just shift the gears and go. However, I tend to think that if I got one and had a close call like this, I'd walk it home and sell it.

I've wanted a bike for years now but whenever I read or hear horror stories, (even ones that end ok) I change my mind. I guess it's one of those things like when you're a kid and you'd ride your skateboard/bicycle down a steep hill. You just can't think about the bad outcomes that can make you a quadriplegic. Just shift the gears and go. However, I tend to think that if I got one and had a close call like this, I'd walk it home and sell it.

I rode one for 20 yrs, never laid one down or wrecked but with the way people play with phones nowadays, I don't trust the couple of feet separating the lanes on a two lane road...

You almost never hear about blowouts any more. Have there been advances in tire technology that have made them less common?

Tires are a household product that is somewhat amazing. When you think about the work that they do, they're incredibly important, and yet they're invisible for the most part. They're the offensive guard of household goods.